Bungou Stray Dogs First Impressions

From the studio behind the likes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Soul Eater, comes the story of an orphan who crosses paths with a group only known to him in rumors... the Armed Detective Agency. This organization works to solve the incidents that can't be handled by the police or the military: the supernatural. Who are these people? What do they actually do? Let's find out!

Story

The show opens with an orphaned young adult named Atsushi Nakajima hunched over on a walkway facing the river. Cast out from his orphanage, he has no money or food. With hunger setting in, he monologues a vivid description of the last meal he had, which was---at this point--several days ago. Becoming desperate, he intends to rob the first person he sees. The first likely target passes him in the river, drowning. Atsushi decides to save him and finds out that the man was attempting suicide.

As an eccentric way of thanking Atsushi for "saving" him, he offers Atsushi to join him and his partner for a meal. Atsushi learns the drowning man's name is Dazai and his partner's name is Kunikida. He is told that the two of them are part of the Armed Detective Agency. Atsushi only knows the rumors that surround the group; that each member has supernatural abilities and they neutralize threats that regular humans can't possibly fight. Dazai and Kunikida are currently working a case. There's a tiger terrorizing the city and they aim to stop it. They recruit Atsushi for a reason unknown to him. Without giving out any spoilers, there's a fight and a twist at the end. I know I'm going to like watching this story unfold.

We don't know the reason why Dazai is suicidal. Atsushi also seemed like he recognized the name Dazai when the two of them introduced themselves... It was almost an ominous feeling when it happened. Given these two hopefully-explained-later questions, it's a promising start from an established studio. Well done, Bones, well done.

Score: 7/10

Characters

We become established with three characters in the first episode, with a few others that show up at the end to pique our curiosity about who are part of the Armed Detective Agency.

There's a lot of banter between characters, akin to a typical Shounen anime like the previously mentioned Soul Eater, and this was kind of a surprise to me. The good thing though is that the characters each feel like they have their own personality because of it. Bungou Stray Dogs uses humor to lighten up the dialogue outside of fights, and it helped keep the show from being too serious. I enjoy the dynamic between the calm, caring nature of Dazai and the strict control freak of Kunikida. Atsushi is constantly battling his self-isolation and Dazai is easing him into the idea of a group that accepts him... albeit an eccentric group.

Atsushi Nakajima is our main character. He's a young adult with short, silver hair. He's wearing a ragged, dark gray uniform, presumably from his orphanage. I found that he has a curious personality, but talks down about himself when he compares himself to others. So far, he's not an annoying main character and there is a lot of potential for personal growth with him. As the story progresses, I expect we'll see him develop and take on the role of an Armed Detective Agent.

Osamu Dazai is the second character we meet. He's a 20-something looking adult with brown, curly hair. He wears a long trench coat and bandages on his forearms and neck. This guy stole the show for me. He pokes fun at the serious nature of Kunikida, but he can be straightforward if needed. Dazai seems to be a very intuitive person. He reads each person's emotions and responds accordingly. I'm really excited to see more of him as the show goes on.

The last major character we see is Doppo Kunikida. He is around Dazai's age and has medium, blonde hair with a long ponytail at the base near his neck. He has a strict, plan-based attitude and a short temper if you deviate from it. He seems to be the "serious character" who helps ground the impulsive decisions of the others. What I liked about him is that it feels like he has respect and authority (even with his temper being toyed with by Dazai constantly), and he might be a point of guidance for the others if they need it. He blows up quickly if things don't go the way they should, and I think they're going to use that a lot throughout the season.

Score: 8/10

Sound

The musical score for this anime is really good. The opening was a catchy J-Rock song that made me want more. Throughout the episode, they perfectly tailored the music to the emotions they were trying to evoke. The ending felt like a traditional slow rock song, but it was a good listen. The voice acting didn't detract from the experience, and I feel like they chose the right people for each character so far. Atsushi's voice cracks when he's surprised, and it helps reinforce the age gap between himself and the others for how similarly-aged they look. The duality between the soft tones of Dazai and the stern, deep voice of Kunikida makes it easy to distinguish them apart from each other.

Score: 9/10

Setting

The anime appears to be set in modern-day Japan. What I like about it is that the world has a supernatural element to it. Certain people have abilities to manipulate physics and/or create things. By the end of the episode you see a couple different people's abilities, but I'm looking forward to finding out what each of them can do.

Score: 7/10

Animation

From the manga-esque. stylistic look when something funny happens, to the realistic, serious moments, this anime has a vast range of styles it uses to portray what's happening. I felt there were more stylistic moments than I would've liked, but I'm hoping this is just to get a feel for the personalities of each person. A lot of ways this anime draws your eyes to the important elements is through soft blurring and subtly zooming the view. I feel this kept the dialogue sections interesting to watch as well as listen. The anime really kicks it up when it gets time to fight. They did an amazing job of keeping the fast combat fluid. The magical rings swirling around whenever a character would use their powers was a nice touch. I love Bones' animation style, and this anime shines almost perfectly.

Score: 9/10

Enjoyment

As a first episode, this did a good job of keeping my attention. I think they gave you a taste of what the Armed Detective Agency can do and it made me want more. It was almost just a tease at the end of the episode. I like that when Atsushi figured out the twist, we weren't ham-fisted the truth. I enjoyed the show to a different degree than I thought I would, but it was a welcomed difference I have a feeling this anime is going to be a sleeper hit for this season.